Running a key factor in Briere's success

Thursday

Danny Briere believes his past two seasons have been his personal bests, and the Flyers center gives much of the credit to his offseason running program.

As the Flyers finish up training camp this week, it’s clear that a number of players rely on summer mileage to get themselves ready for aerobic demand on the ice.

Briere, who broke the Flyers’ playoff record for points with 30 in the 2010 run to the Stanley Cup Finals, came back and set a new career high for regular-season goals last year with 34.

The foundation of Briere’s training regimen is track interval work. He starts the offseason by alternating three minutes on, three minutes off for about five or six repeats.

As June turns to July and July to August, he begins to up the tempo, using 45-second bursts to simulate the length of shifts in NHL games.

By the end of the summer, he’s doing explosive 15-second bursts (15 to 18 repeats) to really strengthen his aerobic base.

“I have a couple days a week at the track,’’ Briere said. “The beauty of it is, even if you travel, you can always run.

“If you train your body to go hard and to push through exertion, it will help you at times in the season when things get tougher. Your body is used to being fatigued and working through high intensity. You get through those tough times a lot easier through running.

“Once you get into March, April and May, that’s where it really pays off.’’

Flyers conditioning coach Jim McCrossin oversees the offseason workouts, but each player modifies the sessions to suit his individual needs.

“More and more, you see guys doing interval work,’’ Briere said. “Running is important. It’s not everything, but it does get you ready.

“I really believe that my offseason helped me tremendously last season. I was 33 years old and I had my best all-around year. It was largely in part because of my training.’’

Braydon Coburn is another Flyer who relies on running to keep going through the season. The 6-foot-5, 220-pound defenseman was the fastest player in camp two years ago, completing the two-mile fitness test run in an eye-popping 11:08.

Coburn is a disciple of long distance running but, like others, he’s been working more on his short-distance speed the past two summers.

“I believe I can make my gains in the summertime,’’ Coburn said. “And during the year, it’s just about maintaining that level.

“If you keep yourself in relatively the same shape that you’re in when you come into camp, keep that aerobic level up, that’s excellent.’’

Briere mentioned that right wing Wayne Simmonds might be the new “one to catch’’ among the Flyers who run.

Bucks Marathon approaches

If you’re looking for a local marathon to run this fall, there’s no need to go far.

The inaugural Bucks County Marathonn will take place Sunday, Nov. 20, 2011, along the Delaware Canal towpath between Yardley and New Hope (out and back).

Racing Resources, under the direction of Pat McCloskey, promise a well-organized USATF-certified 26.2-mile race with a 500-runner cap and official sanctioning as a Boston Marathon qualifier.

The event will start and end at the Yardley train station. The turnaround point is just beyond the Route 202 toll bridge in New Hope. It’s going to be a fast course with plenty of room to spread out.

“We’re not a big-city marathon experience,’’ McCloskey said. “We’re just a nice little race that has its own identity and personality.’’

All runners receive long-sleeve tech shirts. The race is chip-timed with checkpoints so others can get updates on a runner’s progress.

“People are psyched,’’ McCloskey said. “They are running at home or coming home to run it.’’

Check it out at www.runbucks.com.

Race to Remember

On Oct. 22 at 9 a.m., Archbishop Wood High School will be holding an inaugural 5K Run/Walk in remembrance of Rich Kelly. Rich was a physical education teacher at Wood for many years, and this race will honor him. All proceeds will go to the Wood Student Fund. For information: fleh@crowncork.com.